Straw-retarder for straw-burning furnaces.



R. L. BUTCHER.

STRAW RBTARDER FOR STRAW BURNING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1913.

11, 1 1 1,91 3. Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

nu: NORRIS P515115 c PHOTLLLHHOH WASHINGTON. u k.

R. L. BUTCHER.

'STRAW RETARDER FOB. STRAW BURNING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28,1913.

1, 1 1 1,01 3,- Patented Sept.22,1914.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IHE NORRIS F'ET'ERS co. PHOTO'LITHO \VASHVNGTDN, I: c,

R. L. BUTCHER. STRAW RETARDER FOR STBAW BURNING FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1913.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914..

3 SHEBTSSHEET 3.

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THE NORRIS PETERS C0.. FHOTOJJTHII. WASHINGTON, D. C.

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ROBERT LEVI BUTCHER, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

STRAW-RE'IARDER FOR STRAVWBURNING FURNACES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT LEVI DU'rcHnR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State ofWashington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Straw-Retardersfor Straw-Burning Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in straw retarders for strawburning furnaces and has as its principal object the provision of astraw retarder of such design that the same may be used a maximum lengthof time when burning straw without the retarder being burnt out.

A second object of my invention is to de sign a straw retarder whichshall necessarlly be removed when the furnace is using 1 coal or wood 1norder to prevent any posslbility of the retarders being burnt out by theuse of said fuel. y A third object of my invention is to de sign a strawretarder which shall be economical to manufacture and which may beplaced 1 in and removedfrom the furnace with a maximum of convenience.

The final ob ect of. my invention resides in the particular arrangementand combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification:Figure 1 shows my improved straw retarder as installed for use with awater leg boiler. It will be understood, however, that it may be adaptedfor use with any direct flue boiler. Fig. 2 is a detached plan view ofmy im-i proved straw retarder. Fig. 3 is a side ele-:

vation of the device shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4

is a perspective view of a portion of the de-' vice shown in Fig. 2.Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of a portion of the device. shown inFig. 4:. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan Viewv of one of the arms of thedevice shown in Throughout the separate views the same part isdesignated by the same reference characters.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 is a horizontal fire tubeboiler of the locomotive type provided with a water leg 2 through whichis anaperture 3, the water leg 2 being placed in the fire box 4. In thelower part of the firebox is the usual grate 5 beneath which is anopening 6 controlled by the draft door 7 The front wall of theSpecification 01 Letters Patent.

Application filed April 28, 1813.

Patented Sept. 22, 1914. Serial no. 764,134.

fire box is provided with an aperture 8 designed for the introduction offuel. It is customary when feeding straw to a boiler to insert in theaperture 8 a straw chute such as 9, it being understood that such chuteis ordinarilyremoved when the boiler is being used with coal or wood forfuel. Consequently I have designed my straw retarder so as to besupported wholly by the straw chute 9 so that the retarder will invariably be removed from the fire box when coal or wood is being used.Consequently the danger of burning out my straw retarder because of theintense heat generated by the coal or wood is entirely eliminated.

Inorder to accomplish the resultabove mentioned I make my straw retarderin four parts, one of which is a base or support. 10, the other threebeing straw retarding members, such as 11. Asindicated in Fig. 1, thememberlOis designed to be used as a support for the members 11 and to beattached directly to the straw chute 9 so that when the latter isremoved the entire straw retarder must necessarily be removed from thefire box also. As clearlyindicated in Fig. 2, the member 10 is providedwith a longitudinalslot 12 into which a bolt such as 13 may be insertedfor the purpose of attaching 10 to the straw chute-9. It will beunderstood that because of the slot 12 extending longitudinally of themember 10, the latter may be adjusted longitudinally with relation tothestraw chute 9 so as to bring the members 11. into the desiredposition within the fire box 4. At the left hand end of the member 10 asshown in Figs. 1, 2- and 3, it is provided with two sets of lugs 1414cand 1515, respectively, which are clearly shown in Fig. 1 as intended tocontact with the upper inner surface of the straw chute 9 so as to holdthe member 10 and members 11 in the proper position with respect to theinterior of the fire box and the water leg 2. It will be seen that theouter ends of the members 11 are provided with upwardly projecting tipssuch as 16 which are adapted to contact with the under surface of thewater leg 2 so. as to prevent the members 11 from being accidentallythrust too far upwardly toward the aperture 8. It is intended, however,that the tips 16 shall not come into use and are provided only foremergency in case of careless adjustment. It is intended that thereshall be a space such as is indicated at 17 in Fig. 1 between the tips16 and theunder surface of the water leg 2 and this space 17 I find inpractice to be about 1 and inches. As appears clearly, for instance, inFig. 2, the member 10 comprises a reduced central shank portion 18 andtwo portions 19 and 20 disposed at opposite ends of the portion 18, theportions 19 and 20 being extended transversely of the portion 18. Theportion 19 carries the lugs 14: and 15 previously mentioned and onaccount of the width of such ortion 19 these lugs serve not only toadjust the height of the tips 16, but also prevent the member 10 fromrocking about its longitudinal axis. On the upper face of the portion 20there are provided a plurality of lugs 21 which extend upwardly from thesurface of the portion 20 and are bent rearwardly toward the portion 19so as to form a recess between themselves and the upper surface of theportion 20. The lugs 21 are arranged in pairs with suitable recesses22between the lugs of each pair, there being three pairs of the lugs 21,and three of the recesses 22. The members 11, as

clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, are provided at their left hand endswith a pair of horizontally extending lugs 23 which project transverselyfrom the sides of the members 11 at the ends thereof and are adapted tohook under the lugs 21 as best illustrated in Fig. 3. It will be seenfurther from Fig.

3 that the members 11 are bent upwardly at eachend as indicated at 16and 24., respectively, and that the right hand edge of'the part 20 isextended forwardly as indicated at 25, the members 11 being beveled ofiimmediately beneaththe portion 24 so that they are adapted to restagainst the inclined surface of the part 25. It will be seen thatbecause of the engagement between the lugs 21 and 23 and also betweenthe portions 24.

and 25, that the members 11 are firmly held in position on the member 10but that they may be readily removed therefrom when desired.

As best indicated in Fig. 5, the member 10 is provided with a web 35which projects downwardly from the under surface of said member andextends entirely around the same except for an aperture at the left endof the portion 19 immediately unuer the lugs 15 and for apertures 26which are immediately under the portion 2a of the members 11. It will beseen that the web 35 forms an inverted trough or channel 27 on the undersurface of the member 10, and that air entering the fire box through thestraw chute 9 will be guided through the channel 27 and will bedelivered under the members 11 through the apertures 26. It will be seenmoreover that there will be no tendency for this air to pass up throughthe slot 12 because the upper surface of the member lO is in'contactwith the inner edge of the straw.

chute 9 at the point 28. It will be seen from Fig. 6 that the members 11are provided with downwardly projecting webstsuch as 29 so that theyalso have an invertedchannel shape and that a slot 30 is providedthrough which air passing along the under surface of the members 11 mayescape upwardly and serve to support combustion above the strawretarders. It will be obvious that air pass ing along the under surfaceof the members 10 and 11 as just described will lower their temperatureand prolong the life of the fingers 31 which project horizontally oneachside of the members or arms 11 for the purpose of preventing straw frompassing up through the apertures 3.

It will be obvious that while I have shown and described mystraw'retarder as applied toa water leg boiler, it may :be applied to aboiler without a water leg equally as well.

It will be obvious that while I have shown and described the preferredform of my invention, that various mechanical equivalents may besubstituted for the parts shown and described herein without departingfrom the spirit of my invention, and that I contemplate all suchsubstitutions as will perform the functions of members .shown and describedherein.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaimis 1. In a straw burningfurnace, the combination of a straw chute and a structure adapted toactpas a straw retarder having arms projecting into the furnaceand, ad-

justably supported on the upper. wall of said straw chute andamountingffor said retarder adapted to hold the same in a series ofdifierent positions relative to the longitudinal axis of thestraw chute.

2. In a straw burning furnace, the combination of a straw chute, asupportingmember provided with a longitudinal slot and having lugsadapted to engage the inner surface of said chute, a bolt forholdingsaid member and said lugs against the inner.up per surface ofsaid chute, said bolt project-- ing through said slot and saidsupporting member being adjustable on said bolt, and arms supported fromsaid member.

3. A straw retarder comprising in combination, a supporting memberprovided with downwardly depending webs forming an inverted trough orchannel, said websbeing interrupted at points situated at opposite iends of said member whereby air may pass through said trough, and armssupported by said member having an inverted channel shape, said armsbeing so positioned as to receive air from certain of the apertures insaid web. a

4:. A straw retarder comprising incombi- -nation ,a supporting memberprovided with a shanlclike portionand having a portion set at asubstantially right angles to-said shank portion, said last mentionedportion being provided with lugs projecting up wardly from its uppersurface and turned parallel thereto so as to provide a recess betweenthemselves and the upper surface of said last mentioned portion, andarms pro-' vided with lugs adapted to fit into said recesses and be heldby said first mentioned lugs. i

5. The combination of a boiler provided with a fire box, a water leg insaid fire box provided with an aperture therethrough, a straw chute forintroducing straw into said fire box beneath said aperture, and a strawretarding structure adjustably mounted on said straw chute andprojecting into said fire box immediately beneath said aperture, saidstructure being provided with upwardly projecting tips at its inner endadapted to contact with the upper surface of the water leg and to thuslimit the ad justment of said structure.

6. A straw retarder comprising in combination, a supporting memberhaving an inverted channel shape and arms supported by said memberprovided with straw retarding fingers, said arms being also of aninverted channel shape and adapted to receive air from said member, saidarms being provided with slots near one end thereof whereby air may passfrom beneath said arms to the upper side thereof for the purpose ofsupporting combustion.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

ROBERT LEVI DUTCI-IER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

